


Sketching

by PepperedPickles



Series: Through Time [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-20
Updated: 2014-04-20
Packaged: 2018-01-20 04:29:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1496686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperedPickles/pseuds/PepperedPickles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve needs to sell his portraits and nudes bring in more money. Bucky's the nearest available, willing human. But in the process, Steve has a shocking revelation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sketching

"No, I can't do it. It feels wrong,  _using_ you just so we can eat. Nearly like whoring you out."

"Listen, you draw me, you sell the drawing, we get money, we don't die of starvation and nobody's screwing me."

"It's wrong. They wanted nudes. I'd have to draw you naked."

"Yeah, I know, and I'm fine with it, s'long as I can eat. So pick up your pencil, punk."

Steve sighs in resignation. A private collection in town wanted original drawings. They said nudes, they weren't specific. They were paying _fifty dollars_ for any that made their standard. And now, apparently, there was a naked person standing right in front of him practically demanding to be drawn. 

"Fine. Just lay down and look pretty."

Bucky flops back on the bed with a smirk on his face and stares up at the ceiling as Steve takes his sketchpad.

"Hang on, hold that face." Steve says.

He does, for the time it takes Steve to draw it. Then it fades away, since holding a smile can get painful. The blond draws the outline of his body first, bent legs and arms sprawled out on the bed. He spends far too long on the small details, a scar on his ankle, a specific wrinkle in the sheets beneath him. It's wrong to want to look at another man's body, he knows. But the call was for nudes, and fifty dollars is a lot of money. They could eat well for a month, maybe two. That was surely worth it. So he sketches out the contours of Bucky's chest, his neck, collarbone... all such smooth skin. Steve wonders what it would feel like and hates himself for it. 

Next, he works his way down. Ribs poking out just slightly. The barest swirl of hair around his navel. More hair further down. Steve turns his eyes away. Instead, he looks at Bucky's face again and it hits him all of a sudden. Bucky is beautiful, and not like any girl he's ever seen.

Emotions surge inside of him. He's no pervert. He's just trying to earn money however he can. That's all. And he has to finish the drawing. It's just lines, after all. So he draws them, shadows and highlights, forcing himself not to think of  _what_ 's casting the shadows.

When he's finally done, after nearly an hour, he signs his drawing and looks at it from a distance. It is without a doubt one of his better works. 

Bucky hasn't spoken in a while. Steve makes his way over to the bedside and realises suddenly that Bucky has fallen fast asleep. He leaves the drawing on the table, looks at the clock. It's nearly seven, time to make dinner. As he chops cabbage for weak soup, he starts muttering to himself, trying to get his feelings out; and he feels that drawing's only gonna make things worse.

"We can't ever be, he can't love me. He's  _good_ , he's Bucky. I'm a pervert."

"You're not."

Steve jumps about a foot in the air, dropping the blunt knife.

"Thought you were asleep!"

"I was, for a bit. I heard what you were saying to yourself. I... I don't know how to say this, but... I... I do too-"

"We can't. It can't ever work, Bucky. You can never take me dancing, or marry me. Never. Forget I ever said anything."

"Not sure I can do that," the dark-haired man says, gathering Steve up in an enveloping embrace and kissing him square on the lips.


End file.
